Survey: December 26 Kicks Off Six Days Of Selfish Shopping

DETROIT (WWJ) – The holiday season is coming to an end, but for many consumers, the shopping continues.

A survey conducted by RetailMeNot.com and The Omnibus Company found that a majority of consumers (79%) plan to shop the end-of-year sales after the holidays are over.

“Holiday gifts have been wrapped and delivered, but the shopping is far from over,” Trae Bodge, RetailMeNot spokesperson, said in a statement. “The days following Christmas are some of the busiest for retailers as shoppers take to the stores to use their gift cards and, in many cases, make exchanges or returns.”

Post-Holiday Letdown

When it comes to gifting, you can’t win them all. Nearly half of consumers (42%) report that they typically end up returning at least some gifts they receive for the holidays.

•Parents are more likely than those without kids (54% vs. 37%) to end up returning at least some winter holiday gifts.

•18-34 year olds are nearly three times more likely than those ages 35+ (11% vs. 4%) to return 25 percent or more of the gifts they receive for the winter holidays.

Determined to get what they want, consumers report that they are more likely to return an unwanted holiday gift (35%) than to keep it (27%), regift it (21%) or donate it (13%). Compared to last year, consumers report that they are more likely to return (35% vs. 31%) or regift (21% vs. 17%) unwanted presents this year.

If you didn’t get everything on your holiday wish list, you’re not alone. More than 1 in 3 (35%) consumers surveyed have purchased a gift for themselves because no one got it for them for the holidays.

End-of-Year Selfish Shopping

A majority of consumers (79%) surveyed plan to shop the end-of-year sales that occur after the holidays, and of these shoppers, 64% plan to buy items for themselves during this time. According to the survey, it is a less popular time to shop for others, such as significant others (42%) or relatives (29%).

•It is more common for respondents that make more than $50,000 a year than those who make less than that (83% vs. 76%) to plan to shop end-of-year sales.

•Females are more likely than males (54% vs. 47%) to plan to shop for themselves during end-of-year sales.

Fortunately for selfish shoppers, nearly 9 in 10 (89%) respondents indicated that they have received a gift card as a winter holiday present and they plan to put it to good use. Just over 2 in 3 (67%) consumers say they are most likely to use a gift card they were given for the holidays less than a month after receiving it.

Delayed Gifting and Regifting

In addition to shopping for themselves, some consumers even wait until post-holiday sales to purchase gifts for others! Three in 10 (30%) holiday gift-givers report having purchased a present after the holidays were over for someone they knew they wouldn’t see until afterwards.

•Perhaps strapped for cash after buying presents for their kids, parents are more likely than those without kids (41% vs. 26%) to have bought a gift after the holidays were over for someone they knew they wouldn’t see until later.

Additionally, more than 1 in 3 (34%) consumers surveyed have used a gift card they were given to buy a present for someone else and nearly 1 in 4 (24%) have “regifted” a gift card to someone else.

• It is more common for those who are employed than those who are not currently working (31% vs. 18%) to have “regifted” a gift card to someone else.

To take advantage of post-holiday sales, visit RetailMeNot.com or download the RetailMeNot Coupons app for in-store savings.

*The survey was conducted between November 21 and November 26, 2013, among 1,022 U.S. residents ages 18 and over, using an email invitation and an online report.